June 04, 2009

The sight of those wretched dogs trying to crawl away from the people bludgeoning them over the head was beyond words. More heartbreaking still was the scene where a dog was surrounded by men with poles and began to wag his tail in welcome - before screaming in agony as the poles and rods came down upon his body. Howling in terror, he tried to raise himself on already broken limbs as the blows came thick and fast and sent him crashing once more to the ground. Blood gathered in pools around his head before he was picked up by one of his back legs and dragged away. The pile of dead dog grew - and people in the video laughed – satisfied with a job which had so cruelly stilled the beating hearts of our best friends.

I watched the film in disbelief – thinking surely we were of a different species to those dreadful people so utterly disconnected to the agony of animals who feel pain and terror and a host of emotions so similar to ours. That life can be so dismissively snuffed out as if it held no importance in this world reflects so appallingly on a country and people I have grown to love.Culling in China is back - in all its bloody glory - and we need your help to make a stronger push than ever before to drive it into the dark ages where it belongs. Local animal welfare groups in China are also appalled –and we are working closely with them in appeals to the authorities – united in our call that dogs deserve better.Animals Asia is trying to raise funds to support these groups in their efforts to stop the cull and provide the Hanzhong city authorities with an alternative solution to dog population and disease control.